Preventing Foodborne Illness

Preventing foodborne illness begins long before meal preparation begins. The first place prevention begins is in the grocery store, fresh market or whatever place you shop for grocery items. The general appearance of a store or market should help you decide whether or not to shop there.

Following some basic shopping tips can help prevent food from spoiling due to prolonged periods between you buying and storing refrigerated or frozen items. It’s best to shop for cold foods last. If the window of time between buying cold items and getting home to store them exceeds 1 to 2 hours, take a cooler with you and pack the items in ice.

When shopping, keep raw meat away from the other items in your cart. Plastic bags can help with this. You should also be sure that when you check out, all raw meat is bagged separately from your other grocery items.

Whether it’s packaged meat or items on the shelf, you should take time to inspect the packaging. You should avoid buying foods that are not securely wrapped, dented cans and crushed boxes. Do not select items from the frozen food section that have frost or ice crystal inside the package. Always check the expiration date on boxed, canned and prepackaged items.

When you arrive home with your groceries, put the cold items up immediately. Buying meat in bulk packages and dividing the package at home is a good way to save money. When you do this, it’s imperative that you wrap the smaller packages of meat tightly, label and date them before placing them in the freezer.

Many prepackaged foods have storing and handling instructions on them. Read the information provided to assure that you are storing food in the safest manner. It’s advisable to buy refrigerated eggs, inspect the carton and eggs for damage before you buy them and store them in the carton once you get home with them.